Magazine Advert Analysis - Adele, 21

Magazine Advert Analysis - Adele, 21

The most noticeable aspect of this album magazine advert is the use of colour. The black and white monotone page highlights the lime green colour which is used throughout the branding for the album, thus showing a desirable consistency. The black and white is not overwhelming, however the prominence of the black colour would be ideal in a magazine, since the dark coloured ink would stand bold amongst other advertisements in the magazine. The use of lighting and shading creates a dramatic feel to the album - a feature of the product that is likely to be attractive to its intended audience. 

The image of the artiste herself is dominating the page. This is useful at selling the artiste as a brand image, but also allows the artiste to be clearly recognised if the reader was to be flicking through the pages quickly. In the instance of this particular advert, the artiste occupies almost half of the entire advertisement. The combination of the black and white colour and Adele's solemn expression creates a dramatic feel to the advert; this mood created is ideal because it arguably reflects the overall mood of the album, which contains sombre songs. 

The use of space in the design is noticeable and this helps to reduce overwhelming the reader with information - too much writing or information can be off-putting. It is worth mentioning that the same font style is used throughout the page, which enhances readability and clarity. The action of changing the colour of the font rather than the whole font itself results in a professional appearance with the ability to highlight the most important information (in this case, the album name and where it is available to purchase).

Underneath the artiste name and album name there is a passage of text which mentions awards won by the artiste. This piece of information is useful at interesting readers who do not perhaps belong to the artiste's direct demographic, since the awards could be seen as more promotional material. It is conclusive by Adele's example that a magazine advert should not only appeal to the artiste's target audience or fans, but should also encourage magazine readers anywhere outside of the demographic too. 

A small, square picture of the album cover which is being promoted can be seen in a prominent position on the advertisement - highlighted by a lime green border. This is a very practical element in the design because it allows the readers who are interested in the product to understand what they need to look for in order to invest in the exact product which is being promoted. The presence of this simple image eradicates the possibility of confusion: the advert is practical and effective.

The essential pieces of information, like the record company logo, are presented towards the bottom of the advert. They are easy to access, yet they do not interrupt the artistic element of the magazine advertisement. Practicality is a key aspect of a magazine advert which is portrayed effectively within this example. 

Overall I think that this is an excellent example of a magazine advert which incorporates both art and practicality. It is informative and specific, and achieves this by using colour and form in an artistic and aesthetically interesting manner.